2016-03-29

TC Sidewalks Booklets Now Available!

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For some time now, I've been intending to write printed matter, a way to take some of the work I've been doing for years on this blog and make it a bit more corporeal. It's a way to share my perspective and writing with new audiences, and also support the blog a bit. (Note: There are few things less lucrative than blogging.)

So I finally have some good news! I've turned my somewhat popular "TC Sidewalks tours" into booklets that you can read, flip through, neglect, or share. They make excellent coasters, portable fans on hot days, and can also be used to learn and guide yourself around different neighborhoods and along less than usual paths.

Technically, I call them "psychogeographic tour guides," and they're intended to offer atypical ways of moving along the sidewalks of the Twin Cities. Roughly speaking, I define psychogeography as the study of how geography intersects with subjectivity, perception, memory, and place, to put a little map onto the complex relationship between the city and its people.

That's the idea anyway! You can see for yourself, as the first three booklets are now available for purchase.

They are:

Booklet #1: Noteworthy Bowling Alleys of Minneapolis and Saint Paul

An often factual 32-page booklet featuring an introduction to the cultural and architectural importance of bowling alleys, some bowling alley history, a somewhat useful map, black-and-white photos, and descriptions and anecdata about seven (7) current or former bowling alleys or bowling supply shops in the Twin Cities: the Bryant-Lake Bowl, Midway Pro-Bowl, Town Hall Lanes, Lowry-Central Bowling Supply (defunct), Ran-Ham Lanes, and Memory Lanes.

Information found within is based on research done before, during, and after the Bowling Alley Bike Tour in June of 2014.

Booklet #2: Noteworthy Dive Bars of South Minneapolis

A mostly factual 36-page booklet featuring an introduction to dive bars, a history of the libation landscape of South Minneapolis (defined as between Franklin Avenue and the city's Southern border, not including the Wedge/Uptown), a somewhat useful map, black-and-white photos, and descriptions and tidbits about seven (7) dive bars: the Driftwood Char Bar, the Country Bar (defunct), the Hexagon, the Schooner, the Rail Station, the Cedar Inn, and the Sunrise Inn.

An over-half-accurate 32-page booklet featuring an introduction to dive bars, a brief history of booze in the Midway, a small but informative map, black-and-white photos, and descriptions and trivia about five (5) current or former dive bars: the Dubliner, Tracks, Christensen's Big V's, Hot Rods, and the Trend Bar.

Each booklet features a unique full-color cover illustration by a local Twin Cities artist!

Except for that, everything else was personally created by me.

If you'd like to read some above-average writing, learn about new places, or have a portable guide to half-baked local history, these are just the ticket.
It's a great way to support this blog, and also they're a fair value.

They're $7 each, or $20 for (all) three of them.

You can purchase them by mailing me a check (148 West George Street, Apartment #7, Saint Paul MN 55107) or through Paypal.

Paypal instructions: Simply donate the appropriate dollar amount and specify which ones, and how many, you would like. I will reply with an email to confirm your address

Thanks for your support! A lot of work went into these booklets. But if they prove popular, I will make more of them, one for each of the previous tours.